Duress in Demotion and Termination Case: Not so Fast, Employers
In times when it seems that employers often not only attempt to, but also often get away with, unreasonable demotion and/or termination attempts, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the rights of employees not to be forced into unreasonable demotion “agreements.”
The crucial facts of the case are as follows: In 2011, Timothy Gilkerson was hired by Nebraska Colocation Centers (“NCC”) as a Vice President and General Manager in an IT function that also included Gilkerson’s expanding the company’s customer base. Among other things, the employment contract stated that Mr. Gilkerson could only be fired for cause defined as the “willful misconduct in carrying out Executive’s duties which causes economic harm” to NCC or the “persistent failure to perform the duties and responsibilities of his employment hereunder….” The contract also specified various generous sales and retirement bonuses.
NCC subsequently became dissatisfied with Gilkerson’s sales-related performance. Gilkerson received an employee performance review with an “Unsatisfactory” rating for “Achieved Sales Goals” and “Fulfills the terms of his contract.” Gilkerson signed the review document, but noted his dissatisfaction with the sales goal rating. NCC ultimately determined that Gilkerson was not “effective” in his role, announced the hiring of a new Vice President and, the same day, told Gilkerson that 1) the new employee would be moving into Gilkerson’s office and 2) that Gilkerson’s job ti
tle was changed to something less desirable from his point of view.
Crucially to the case, Gilkerson was presented with a “Mutual Rescission” to rescind the employment contract and a “Term Sheet” which set forth new and much less desirable terms of Gilkerson’s employment. In other words” NCC sought to demote Gilkerson. Importantly, the “mutual rescission” sought to convert Gilkerson’s contractual status to be an at-will employee. Gilkerson smartly consulted with an attorney who told him not to sign the Mutual Rescission. At a subsequent meeting with the NCC president, Gilkerson was told he had two choices: Accept the rescission and term sheet or be fired for cause; an obvious Hobson’s choice. Gilkerson signed. You guessed it: he was then also fired.
Gilkerson filed suit, claiming contractual duress which, in Nebraska, involves a two-part test: First, the agreement obtained must have been obtained by means of pressure. Second, the agreement itself must be unjust, unconscionable, or illegal. Whether particular facts are sufficient to constitute duress is, in Nebraska, a matter of law.
The duress test sounds like a high standard to meet. Sure enough: on a motion for summary judgment, the trial court found that “had the revised terms … been given to a newly-hired employee, they would certainly have been seen as fair, or even generous.” However, as the Court of Appeals pointed out: Gilkerson was not a new employee. It was just wrong for the employer and court to treat him as such. The Court found the new “term sheet” unjust because, after analyzing case precedent, there was no economic justification for requiring Gilkerson to accept an at-will employment agreement, other than “it allowed NCC to avoid the provisions of the Contract that were most favorable to Gilkerson.” No kidding. The court also specifically took issue with the provision that made Gilkerson an at-will employee after having served in a contractually better position for quite some time. The appellate court thus found duress to lie.
Contracts are, of course, negotiable at the outset. However, in times of fierce competition in many job markets, it is good to see that courts standing up for employees presented with clearly unreasonable employment “choices” and decisions by employers well into an employment situation. It is one thing if an employee is at working will. It is quite another if he/she is not, as this case clearly demonstrates. Contracts must be performed in good faith by both parties. That, of course, includes the employer as well. In times when unemployment rates are dropping, hopefully employees will obtain stronger bargaining positions both at the outset of and during the employment relationship. Nonetheless, presenting employees with unreasonable “choices” such as the above. Of course, employees should rise to the reasonable expectations of employers. But employers do not and should not have carte blanche to do whatever they wish to contractually bound employees. This can hardly come as a surprise to any reasonable employer.
The case is Gilkerson v. Nebraska Colocation Centers LLC., 2017 WL 2656073.